In the roundtable discussion format ”Coffee and International Politics”, on April 26th we discussed NATO and Ukraine with Danish expert Henrik Larsen. The topics ranged from NATO’s plans to arm Ukraine to the actions of EU members in supporting the country in the future.
Coordination and financing will be the two main elements in NATO-Ukraine relations as we approach the NATO Summit happening in June. So far, the Alliance has provided non-lethal support, such as trust funds. Activities like support with demining would be an improvement, but not a direct involvement of NATO as a party to this conflict. As far as coordination is concerned, NATO might be a more reliable guarantee than the US at present. There are psychological effects of coordination on both sides: NATO and Ukraine. It might be a much-needed boost for the morale of Ukrainian soldiers. Meanwhile, financing was described as a more politically complicated issue.